AltWeeklies Wire
The Shadow of the Sonnew
The trials of the border's most powerful law-enforcement family.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
03-28-2013 |
Features
Tags: U.S.-Mexico border
Kochworldnew
To see how the Koch brothers' free-market utopia operates, look no further than Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque and Jen Reel |
10-29-2012 |
Policy Issues
Tags: Koch brothers
The Deadliest Place In Mexiconew
Who's killing the people of the Juarez Valley?
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
03-02-2012 |
International
Tags: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Drug War
Hacktivists and Los Zetas Fistfight in Cyberspacenew
Mexico’s sanguinary drug war has taken a strange twist. Instead of the streets of Juarez or Matamoros the battle is playing out in cyberspace between the world’s most feared group of hackers Anonymous and Mexico’s most notorious cartel Los Zetas.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
11-16-2011 |
Tech
No Safe Placenew
Mexicans flee organized crime but find little sanctuary.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
11-01-2011 |
International
Can a Grieving Poet's Movement for Peace Save Mexico?new
On a broiling mid-June afternoon in Juarez, Javier Sicilia stepped on to a makeshift stage in a downtown park to address at least 2,000 of his fellow grieving Mexicans. The crowd applauded wildly as the soft-spoken, 54-year old poet began to speak in measured tones about creating a national movement to “save our Democracy.”
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
07-08-2011 |
Drugs
What the GOP Sweep Means for Immigration Reformnew
In hindsight, it seems appropriate that Dia de los Muertos and the mid-term election fell on the same day. The national Republican sweep means that any meaningful effort for immigration reform is probably dead.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
11-03-2010 |
Immigration
Tags: Immigration, GOP
Droning In Dollarsnew
With unmanned aircraft now patrolling the Texas-Mexico border, safety risks aren't the only concerns.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
08-26-2010 |
Policy Issues
Boots On the Ground: A Day in the Life of a Border Sheriffnew
Sheriff Arvin West and his 17 deputies patrol a county nearly twice the size of Delaware on the Texas-Mexico border. And West, chair of Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, has traveled to Washington, D.C., 13 times since 2005 to testify about border security.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
11-04-2009 |
Immigration
Snuffed: How Big Tobacco Killed the Texas Smoking Bannew
With the tide of public sentiment so strong against them, Big Tobacco's well-paid minions adopted ninja tactics, lobbying members behind closed doors and over the telephone to snuff out a high-profile bill with such widespread public support.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
07-01-2009 |
Politics
Dying to Build: Why Texas is the Deadliest State for Construction Workersnew
A construction worker dies in Texas every 2 1/2 days. The causes are far from mysterious: lax enforcement of labor and safety regulations, too many overtime hours without rest breaks and a lack of safety training and equipment.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
06-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
High-Interest Lending Is a Poorly Regulated, Billion-Dollar Business in Texasnew
In low-income neighborhoods across Texas, payday lenders are popping up on street corners and major thoroughfares at a rapid pace. During the economic downturn, these companies are racking up record profits.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa Del Bosque |
05-13-2009 |
Economy
The U.S. Border Patrol Is Getting Lost in the Weedsnew
Border Patrol officials contend that an invasive plant called carrizo cane is blocking their view of the river and of Mexico. The patrol is proposing to spray herbicide along the river from a helicopter to wipe out the cane, angering residents and dividing Laredo's City Council.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
04-08-2009 |
Immigration
Can Janet Napolitano Stop the Border-Fence Boondoggle?new
We talk to border residents and lay bare the private contracts that have soaked up alarming amounts of government money, much of it wasted.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
02-18-2009 |
Immigration
Asarco's Dirty Moneynew
For more than a century, American Smelting and Refining Co. raked in profits while poisoning poor communities in nearly two dozen states. In 2005, the company filed for bankruptcy, initiating a sprawling case that left many Texas residents wondering who will pay to clean up toxic waste at Asarco's dirtiest plant.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
11-05-2008 |
Business & Labor
